Occipital encephalocele: Presentation of case

Encephalocele is defined as the externalization of brain tissue and/or meninges from the skull through a congenital bony defect. It is one of the most severe neural tube defects.

We report a female newborn, weighing 2800 g, APGAR score 8/10. At birth, the clinical examination revealed a weight of 2800 g, a head circumference of 33 cm with a non bulging anterior fontanel.

Prenatal diagnosis of encephalocele is made by maternal screening of serum alpha-fetoprotein levels and by ultrasound. On two-dimensional ultrasound, encephalocele appears as a cystic mass with heterogeneous contents in continuity with certain brain structures. 2D ultrasound detects about 80 % of encephaloceles. The diagnosis is easily and confidently made from the ultrasound findings in the second trimester and can also be made in the first trimester. The prognosis of newborns with encephalocele depends on the extent of neural tissue herniation in the sac and the presence of associated anomalies.

The purpose of this observation is to highlight the contribution of different antenatal imaging methods in the diagnosis of encephalocele.